Marcus Harris pens two-year extension with Lancashire and is leading run-scorer in Division Two this season.
Marcus Harris pens an extension with Lancashire that sees him play for the crisis county for two more seasons.
After agreeing to a deal that would see him play for Lancashire for the next two summers, Harris has amassed 825 runs in seven games this season, including three hundreds.
Harris, who recently replaced Keaton Jennings as interim captain, failed to stop Leicestershire from winning by innings last week, leaving Lancashire without a victory after seven games and one point below the bottom of the Division Two standings. Steven Croft is taking temporary leadership after Dale Benkenstein lost his position as head coach due to their terrible run of results.
Despite playing 14 Test matches for Australia, Harris, who turns 33 in July, has not been seen since the 2021–22 Ashes and seems to be unpopular with the national selection. As a result, he ought to be available for Lancashire for the upcoming summers. He should be available for the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, but he is not included in their preparations for the T20 Blast.
“I have loved the start of my time with Lancashire, and I am really pleased to extend my contract at Emirates Old Trafford by a further two years,” Harris said. “It was a great honour to be asked to lead the Red Rose in four-day cricket and I hope that I can continue to make positive contributions, both with the bat and as a leader on the field.
“The start to this season hasn’t been what we all would have wanted, but we are determined to put things right in the County Championship when we next take to the field at the end of June.”
Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s director of cricket, may also find his role under pressure if results do not improve, but said he was pleased to have secured Harris’ signature. “Marcus has made a tremendous impact with the sheer volume of runs that he has scored during the first two months of the season,” he said.
“He is also a great character and leader which is why we made the decision for him to take over the captaincy in four-day cricket and we are really pleased that he will be here longer-term. Having Marcus signed up for the next two seasons after this one allows us to have continuity and consistency and means we are able to plan further ahead knowing he will be here with us.”